Show blacklisting AND TRADE WITH ENEMIES nothing could bo be more preposterous than tor far the trading concerns in this country which have been put upon what is called the british blacklist to get together for resistance and protest under the pretentious title of an association to res resist i st british domination of american commerce they will gain nothing by making themselves ridiculous and it if common sell sense se prevails in official circles at washington their representations will not be taken too seriously however important in trade these concerns nearly all with german titles may 0 uc o lub iness hiess is no more american commerce than the tailors of tooley street were the people of england the british government is seeking to dominate that business only so tar far as it may be used as an arency agency of firms domiciled in ili the united kingdom for trading with tile the enemies of great britain and her allies british authorities express entire readiness to remove names from that discredited list whenever wl wIt enever it I 1 s proved that those bearing them do not act as intermediaries in III the forbidden trade of english subjects with En glands enemies it if they are so acting and persist in it they are committing an offense against our government as well as abetting one against that of great britain there is no question about these and many other firms in the united states carrying on commercial and financial transactions with germany and austria hungary they have an undoubted right to do so if they are ready to take the risk at the other end of tile the line our government will not hinder their doing so but it cannot prevent the hindrance 0 of belligerents on the other side under such rights as they possess of blockade or embargo it is equally beyond doubt that the british government lias has a right to forbid its own subjects and any persons domiciled within its jurisdiction is to trade with its enemies while the war is going on there are plenty of precedents precedent s for that in which the united states has been somewhat conspicuous the belligerent nation could even hinder its subjects from trading with neutral countries if a sufficiently urgent occasion should arise if its own subjects are trading with its enemies thru agencies domiciled in a neutral country whatever other trade or commerce those agencies way may bo be conducting it can prohibit those subjects from continuing that trade though it cannot otherwise interfere with the transactions of the concerns thru which they have bave been carrying it on to call this dominating or seeking to dominate american commerce is grotesquely absurd and trying tring to work up sentiment against it il will react against those making the attempt who are showing a shortsightedness short sightedness or narrowness of vision truly teutonic the course which has been adopted by great britain thru its orders in counell council is in harmony with that adopted not only by her allies but by her enemies and in time past by the united states but it is more discriminating and likely to prove more effective tor for its purpose without interfering so much with actual neutral trade the peculiarity of the case lies in designating particular firms by name and uie the protest has b been een largely due to confining the prohibition to these firms and publishing a list of them giving their part ot of the offe offense ns e a wide publicity instead of keeping it in tile the dark that this is the most effective way of stopping the surreptitious trade of english subjects with the enemies ot of their own government Is sufficiently evidenced by tile tho outcry that it has produced on the part of those who are acting for tile the offenders it is much better to make them known than to act quietly in ili a way to throw suspicion promiscuously upon a considerable sid Idera erable blet class ot of traders there is another absurdity in the assumption cs made by some that the government is seeking to injure tile the trade of the united states or of other neutral countries for the of the trade of its own people 0 that is quite contrary to its established commercial policy which is based upon the sound principle that one nation cannot profit in trade at the expense of other nations but the exchange of products and values between nations is a mutual benefit the british policy has been one of free competition in foreign commerce and it has long profited by it it is the basis of the commercial financial and political strength of the empire the allies are profiting by their trade with the united states and tile the united states is profiting by its trade with them and they aro are in no way seeking to injure our trade with other nations except so far as it may be incidentally affected by efforts to prevent trading with their enemy it is quite right for our government to heed protests against this latest move of tile the british government in stopping trade with the enemy by its own subjects thru american firms it is right for it to lo ascertain how far this is really done how far it may be justified and whether a proper discrimination is exercised it would not be right to assume that no mistake is made and no wrong done in the application of a bract practice ce against t which we have lave no ground of protest as a practice there is sufficient reason for an all exchange of diplomatic notes it a complete understanding cannot be reached by informal interchange of information and views the english government has bag every reason for seeking a perfect understanding and leaving no valid ground of complaint and it shows a disposition to reach that result we have equal reason for desiring to maili maintain tain friendly relations in spite of persistent efforts of a certain I 1 class of our own citizens to have them disturbed the journal of commerce |